


All of Time and Space

by PaxEirene (ValaEnVash)



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Importing old fic from ff.net, Pete's World, please forgive the mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-05-23 11:07:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 12,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14933063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ValaEnVash/pseuds/PaxEirene
Summary: 'John stood near the scorched and over-turned conference table, one hand to his chest and looking at Rose in shock over the body of the soldier he had killed to protect his wife. "Rose?" He moved his hand and blood poured from the blast wound in the center of his chest.'Something goes horribly, horribly wrong in Pete's World and the Doctor's not there to save the day.(Originally posted on ff.net on April 12, 2012.)





	1. Chapter 1

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"Rose?"

John's voice reached Rose as she shot the Marisk soldier that had just killed two of her team. Good people, great agents. Too young, damnit.

"John, I  _told_  you! Get them the  _hell_  out of here!" She fired twice more, downing another soldier while gesturing to the other injured member of their team.

"Rose?"

Rose chanced a look back at John and froze.

John stood near the scorched and over-turned conference table, one hand to his chest and looking at Rose in shock over the body of the soldier he had killed to protect his wife. "Rose?" He moved his hand and blood poured from the blast wound in the center of his chest.

"JOHN!" Rose screamed and kept firing, killing more soldiers as they transmatted in, and rushed to her husband.

His legs gave out and he crashed to the floor, blood spotting his lips when he coughed. John pressed a hand to his chest again, winced at the burn, and fell to his side against the remains of the table.

Rose skidded in the pooled Human and Marisk blood and fell, smashing her hip and head on the floor. Bright stars exploded in her vision when a particularly sharp piece of broken coffee mug caught her in the temple.

The dead Marisk soldiers in the large room and in the hallway started disappearing in flashes of light, transmatting back to the ship in orbit around Earth's moon. The Marisk Captain, Corvith, sneered at them, then teleported to his ship after the last of his men disappeared.

In the new quiet, Rose and John's breathing was harsh and ragged, broken only when Rose managed to pull herself up and move toward where John lay trembling.

"John! No! Oh god… GET ME SOME HELP IN HERE!" Rose screamed to anyone she prayed could hear her.

Unfortunately, the Marisk soldiers had killed almost all of the people in the vicinity of the conference room they  _should_  have been holding trade talks in. The massacre left bodies scattered for three floors below the one they occupied.

Suddenly, a bright flash of light exploded from behind John. Their eyes met for a brief second before Rose was tossed back, slamming into the wall with enough force to crack the wall in several places. Her vision went dark but she could still hear herself screaming when John disappeared.

"NO! JOHN! Bring him back! Please, just bring him back! JOHN!"

Then pain. Then emptiness. Then nothing.

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The remainder of Torchwood's employees, including Jake Simmonds and Rose's alternate father, Pete Tyler, managed to get to the conference room just moments later. Pete, barking orders to secure the facility, search for survivors, and treat the injured, found Rose by following the thick, dark trail of blood streaked down the wall where her head had impacted.

"Oh my god, Rose…," Jake whispered and was frozen in the doorway with Pete for a split second. He rushed back out yelling for a medic.

Pete started throwing debris from his path and stepped carefully over the body of one of his most trusted advisors -  _Grieve later_ – before crouching over Rose to check her vitals.

"JAKE!" The blond was back in the doorway instantly. "She's got a pulse but she's hurt badly. Possibly internally. Get the medics here NOW!"

"Yes, sir! They're coming now," then moved to allow the medical team into the room, lead by this universe's Ianto Jones, Pete's assistant.

"Sir, the Marisk ship has started to break lunar orbit."

"Take them out." The ice in Pete Tyler's voice brooked no argument.

Not once, in the seven years since Rose and John had made this Earth their home, had Torchwood done such a thing. Their ability to work together to encourage peaceful congress between Earth and dozens of other races had made Earth a rather popular place to visit. The people of Earth had accepted the truth of life outside of their home amazingly well and very quickly. Trade and commerce, vacation and relaxation, even immigration to and from Earth had become almost commonplace.

Zeppelins were replaced by anti-grav technology. Transmats and other teleports had been made public access, opening up the world to its new and native inhabitants. Peace between Earth’s various governments had even been established within the first three years, creating a galactic sanctuary and allowing free access to almost every mile of the planet.

The people of Earth had suddenly, happily, and rightfully taken their place in the cosmos as this Universe's version of The Shadow Proclamation realized their potential and allowed Earth to immediately join their ranks.

But now, an unprovoked attack had guaranteed the destruction of an entire ship of militant Marisk soldiers and their leader.

A bright beam of yellow-green-gold light shot from Torchwood Tower, through the atmosphere to a satellite in orbit, where it was tightly focused and blasted through the Marisk ship seconds later. The ship was engulfed in light for a fraction of a second before it was vaporized, no trace to be found of it again.

Ianto looked to his boss and watched as the medics stabilized Rose's neck and back, moved her to a gurney and began transporting her from the room. "It's done, sir. The Shadow Proclamation has been contacted as well."

Pete watched Rose being wheeled out of the room but stood frozen, finally allowing the carnage to set in. "Good." He looked around the conference room, expecting … something. "John. Ianto, where's John?"

Both men shot from their positions to opposite sides of the room, tossing broken furniture and carefully moving the bodies of their friends and co-workers, looking for John.

"Not here, sir."

"Jake!" Pete ran to the door and braced himself with his hands on the mangled doorframe, leaning into the hallway. "Jake! Where's the Doctor? John? Do you see him anywhere?"

Jake paled and shook his head. "No, sir. He's not out here. He was with Rose when the shooting started."

Pete looked back into the room and his gaze was instantly drawn back to the blood smear on the wall. "God, please let him be alive. Rose. God." He moved to rub his face, saw the gore on his hands and froze, staring.


	2. Chapter 2

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Late that night, Jackie Tyler sat in the waiting room of the hospital, terrified this would finally be the day she’d lose her daughter. Her makeup was streaked down her face, bags lined under her eyes, and exhaustion dripped from every pore.

Pete was still at Torchwood, working to repair the damage, contacting families, and talking with that Shadow Architect lady.  _Always knew my life would never be normal again, soon as I saw that Doctor, all big ears and leather._ Jackie made her way to the window overlooking London, fingering her necklace and allowing her thoughts to drift.

_Never wanted her to run off with him, but I couldn't have stopped her no matter how hard I tried._ Jackie smiled softly.  _He loved her, too. I saw it, heard it the day that ship bleedin’ crashed into Big Ben. He would've died for her._ Jackie huffed a laugh.  _Guess he did though, in the end. Died so he could bring her back home. Though God knows she was more at home in that box of his._

Her thoughts were interrupted as the surgeon walked in, "Mrs. Tyler?"

"Doctor, how's my daughter? How's my Rose? Is she alright? Please tell me she'll be okay!" Jackie pleaded with the doctor and he caught her hands in his.

"Mrs. Tyler, Rose has been very badly hurt. The back of her skull was fractured when she hit the wall." Jackie gasped but the doctor continued. "Added to that, she has several broken ribs, a seriously bruised her pelvic bone, as well as a fractured right arm and wrist. I'm amazed she was able to defend herself, let alone live through that."

Jackie pressed a hand to her mouth and was shaking before the doctor finished. He lead her to a chair, holding her hand the whole time. "When can I see her?"

The doctor shook his head. "She'll be high-risk for the next 48 hours, so no visitation until then. After that, if the swelling in her brain goes down enough and she's stable enough to move, we'll move her to a room so you can see her."

Jackie made to argue but the doctor stopped her. "Mrs. Tyler. Jackie. Rose will need  _extensive_  physical therapy after this. She may not be able to walk or feed herself for a while, and she may have some memory loss. You need to be prepared for that. And this all depends on whether she wakes up in the next 48 hours."

Jackie began sobbing quietly but nodded, "Pete. I need to call Pete. I need my husband."

As if by magic, he walked through the waiting room doors just then.

"Pete!" Jackie threw herself at Pete, then collapsed in his arms. Pete looked at the doctor, terrified and expecting the worst, but the doctor just held up a hand.

"She made it through surgery. Now, we wait."

Pete nodded and spent the rest of the evening consoling his wife, worrying about his daughter, and trying to fix this whole terrible mess. And to top everything, they still hadn't managed to find John.

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In Rose's original Universe, the team of Torchwood Three in Cardiff now consisted of Captain Jack Harkness, Mickey Smith and his wife, Martha, and Gwen and Rhys Williams. Occasionally, Rex Matheson joined in the chaos, but he'd been working with UNIT for the last year as liaison between the two.

The whole team had gathered in the newly-rebuilt Hub by mid-morning, but since Rift activity has been close to zero for months, they were all going a bit stir-crazy. Even Mickey had volunteered to go "Weevil hunting," but had turned up nothing for a week straight.

Jack was prepared to send everyone home for the day, but, in the fashion of the Universe laughing at Jack Harkness, these plans were dashed immediately and expertly when the Rift monitor exploded in alarms.

Rhys jerked awake and fell off the couch to the floor.

Martha jumped and dropped a tray of again-but-no-longer sterile tools. (Jack can hear her cursing over the sirens.)

Mickey and Gwen dropped their game controllers and ran to the computer banks.

Jack stood as Lord over his domain, sharp-eyed and attentive, waiting for answers.

Mickey straightened from his position over the keyboard to look at Jack, confused, "Nothing here."

Jack dropped his arms where they'd been crossed over his chest, "What?" He cocked an eyebrow, and hurried down the steps from his loft office.

"Nothing there, Jack," Gwen confirmed.

"I heard that, but what the hell caused the alarms to…" Jack stopped, froze, his eyes suddenly glazed. He slowly cocked his head to the side as if listening to something far, far away. A melody, a song, a sound that strummed the deepest recesses of his mind and ricocheted around his heart.

He didn't hear his team calling his name as he turned his head, then body, and slowly took a few dazed steps.

A bright flash of light and a massive amount of heat slammed into Jack, throwing him into Mickey and Gwen. Luckily, they were directly behind him and were therefore protected from the brunt of the heat wave.

A loud thump and the light and heat vanished.

Jack groaned and levered himself off his friends and, feeling burned and blistered skin healing as he moved, looked for the source of the explosion. Lights danced in his vision for a moment before registering the obvious. Something…  _someone_... crumpled on the floor, bleeding profusely, and unmoving.

No one moved for a moment before Jack and Mickey burst into action, Mickey yelling for Martha to grab her kit.

When Jack turned the man over, he and Mickey both jerked back in shock. There's no way.  _NO WAY!_  Nerves shot and hand shaking, Jack reached to check for a pulse -  _Oh god no._   _Please please please don't do this, old_   _man._  - A faint pulse, very slow, very weak.

"One heart," Jack murmured and looked to Mickey crouched next to his. "One heart, Mick."

A loud clatter of shoes slapping the floor heralded Martha's arrival. "Oh god! Doctor?" Her own heart stuttered at the sight of her friend laying there so still. She dropped to floor and started working.

"No," said Jack. He took a steadying breath. "No, I think it's the clone."

Martha's gaze jerked from Jack to Mickey, then back to her boss. "Well, whoever he is, he's not gonna last much longer. Help me get him downstairs."


	3. Chapter 3

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Martha worked on the clone for hours, wrangling Jack and Mickey for any supply runs or heavy lifting. (Skinny or not, the Doctor, clone, whatever, weighted a  _ton!_ ) There had been a few moments Martha had had been forced to restart his heart before she felt he was stable enough step back for more than a moment.

"Whatever he was hit with cauterized the wound _as_ it burned through him." Martha reported later. "Severe burn around the entry point, broke through his sternum and ribs at the center,… It almost nicked his heart, Jack. One heart. No regeneration. Thank god you found what nano-genes you did." She sipped her coffee. Blessed elixir of doctors and medical students everywhere.

"It's not perfect by any means and we may still lose him." She glanced up at Jack, "And if  _he's_ here, where's Rose?"

Jack's heart clinched painfully when Mickey answered with a simple, "Wish I knew, babe. Wish I knew."

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While the clone was still unconscious, Martha and Mickey changed him out of his torn and grimy clothes, finding a wallet with identification naming him "John Cameron Storm".

"Better than 'Smith', at any rate," Jack snorted.

"Oi!" Martha and Mickey chimed in perfectly-blended outrage. Jack could only laugh.

That morning, Jack and Gwen had finished reviewing the CCTV for Cardiff and the surrounding areas, but found no trace of Rose.

John had been unconscious for three days now and was steadily declining. No amount of nano-genes was fixing him.

"The Time Lord part of him may be preventing the nano-genes from doing what needs to be done, thinking he needs to regenerate." Martha looked to her husband with tears in her eyes. "He's going to die and I can’t save him."

Mickey gathered his wife in his arms.

Jack crossed his arms over his chest, looking just as distressed at the news. "Make the call."

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Somewhere, simultaneously in the future and the past, the beginning and the end, at all points in space and time, a little blue box – the bluest blue ever – that just happened to be bigger on the inside, thank you very much, drifted through the Time Vortex taking a much needed rest.

Her Thief, the Pretty One, and the Girl Who Waited had managed a break as well, but Her Thief decided to spend his time "tinkering".

If She still had a mouth, She would have scoffed.

As if any of Her internal systems were off.

She usually fixed what he broke almost immediately after he "fixed" it. 'Tonight' was no different, even if She was a little distracted. And for an eleventh-dimensional being, distraction is never a good thing.

The TARDIS, ever aware of everything, was feeling a bit frightened.

Something… something… something…

Microseconds after registering the disturbance, She chimed to the Doctor to get his attention.

And again.

And _again_.

Each time getting a bit louder, groaning a bit more, shaking a little harder.

Nothing.

She wished again for a mouth, and decided to do as Her pilot suggested and "poke it with a stick". Metaphorically speaking, of course, but the prodding to the Doctor's mind was still a bit harsh.

The young-old man squeaked and jumped from his perch in the swing below Her console room floor, crashing rather inelegantly, knees and elbows askew.

"That was quite unnecessary, dear." The Doctor stood and brushed imaginary dust from himself. "What's got you in a bother, eh?"

He made his way up the stairs, ever the odd professor look, and looked to the TARDIS’ time rotor and the monitor below it.

"Well?" He fiddled with the wibbly lever a moment.

No response, of course, but he felt her unease.

"Maybe a bit of vacation would make you feel better, you sexy thing, you. May be just the thing we  _all_  need."

The Doctor turned sharply and walked from the room, yelling for Amy and Rory. "Ponds! Up you get! Things to do, people to see, regimes to topple, and vacations to be had! Let's _go_ , Ponds!"

A fiery red-haired woman poked her head out of her room to the right. "Vacation?"

Amy Pond watched the Doctor a bit nervously -  _she always got nervous when he grinned like that_  – then stepped from the room. "Is this gonna be like Rio again? 'Cause I think I'll pass on that, thanks."

The Doctor flapped his hands in the air, pshaw-ing the thought away. "No, no, no! _Real_ vacation this time. With sun and sand and big fruity drinks with little umbrellas." He clapped his hands together, making Amy jump a bit, and grinned wider. "Come on then, Amelia Pond! Off to vacation!" He spun and walked briskly back to the console room, leaving a rather perplexed Amy Pond in the doorway.

Her husband, Rory, came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning his chin on her shoulder. She leaned back into him as he spoke. "Do you get as frightened as I do when he gets like that? 'Cause it's just a bit terrifying."

Amy giggled and turned in Rory's arms, placing her own around his neck as smiled, "Nah. You should be used to it by now, though. I mean, he  _does_ manage to bring you back every time you die."

Amy frowned. "On second thought, yeah. Now, I am. Completely terrified."

Rory rolled his eyes and tightened his hold on his wife. How did he get so lucky to be able to spend this amazing life with this even more amazing woman? He kissed her quickly. "We'll just have to make sure he doesn't blow up the sun while we're basking by the pool somewhere. Chain him to a wall or something."

Amy giggled again and cuddled into his chest. "Yeah. Sounds good."

Rory sighed, loosed his woman but kept hold of her hand and tugged her forward. "Come on then, before he gets too impatient."

Just then, "Amy! Rory! What the hold up?" came drifting down the hallway, drawing rolled eyes, sighs, and laughs.


	4. Chapter 4

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"December 20, 1522!"

The Doctor whirled around the console flipping levers and switches, twisting dials, tapping away at the typewriter, and, for all Amy knew, doing absolutely nothing.

"Suleiman the Magnificent has accepted the surrender of the surviving Knights of Rhodes. These knights are allowed to evacuate, but they eventually settle on Malta and become known as the Knights of Malta…"

The Doctor's spiel is cut short by the ringing of the phone.

"Get that, would you, Amy?" The Doctor dove under the console to look for something.

Amy, rolling her eyes, bounced from her perch against the railing to the console. "Thank you for calling TARDIS Universal. This is Amy. How may I help you?" She grinned at her own wit.

Silence on the line almost crackles and she tried again. "Hello? Anyone there? River, if this is you…"

"I need to speak to the Doctor, please." A very sexy,  _very_  male voice drawls down the line with an obviously American accent.

The Doctor, meanwhile, had heard River's name and immediately popped his head up, looking around nervously and, quite frankly, a bit scared. "River…?"

Amy cocked an eyebrow and looked to her friend. "And who is this?"

"Just tell him it's Jack"

"Oookaay... Hang on a sec," she says and pressesd 'Hold' before handing the phone to the Time Lord. "Not River. Says it's 'Jack'."

The Doctor looked at the phone quickly and Amy saw him gulp.

He took the phone -  _breathe old man_  - gulped again and pressed the phone to his ear before releasing the 'Hold'.

"Captain! How are you? Been playing nice?" The Doctor smirked to himself and was not altogether surprised at the shocked silence that filled the air again.

A quick huff of air signaled Jack was still there before the Doctor remembered he'd not seen any of his old companions in this regeneration.

"Yeah, Doc. You could say that. It's been a while."

The Doctor shrugged, again to himself, "Time is relative, Jack. You of all people should know this." He turned to lean back against the console.

A low, dark laugh, then, "Yeah. You're right as usual."

The Doctor gaped then, making a surprisingly good impression of a shocked guppy, but Jack continued before he could say more.

"You're needed. Now. You know I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important, but I'm not asking this time. I'm telling. 28th May, 2012, please. It's 19:39, my time. Land in the Hub, please, soon as you can."

A sharp click prompted the frozen Time Lord to pull the phone away to stare at it as if it had suddenly been turned into a snake.

Amy watched her friend and began to worry when he said nothing, which was never good. "Doctor? Who was that? What did he want?"

"Hmm?" He finally looked up, saw Amy and Rory. "Right. Jack. Well, Jack traveled with me and… with me years back. Lifetimes ago, really. Says he needs me to stop by."

Rory stepped up, "Then let's go." Ever the centurion - loyal and brave, no matter how much the Doctor ribbed him. Amy nodded in agreement.

The Doctor hung up the handset, then started making his way around the console to adjust their coordinates, but was a bit surprised to see the TARDIS has already made the change and set course.

He frowned a bit when he realized he'd felt nothing in the way of course change, but just patted the rotor, knowing his sexy girl would take them where he needed to be.

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"Alright everyone. Prep for incoming TARDIS," Jack called out from his office before he made his way to the computer banks to adjust the Hub's shielding for the TARDIS landing. He sighed and glanced toward the medical bay, saying absently, "Now, we wait."


	5. Chapter 5

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Eight hours later, the song of the Universe echoed off every available surface in the Hub announcing the TARDIS' arrival. The door swung open soon after, allowing the Doctor, Amy, and Rory to exit.

"That was an amazingly smooth ride, Doctor! Been practicin'?" Amy grinned cheekily up to him and prompting him to tap her nose and reply, "No."

They could see no one in the Hub and the silence under the whir of the computers was deafening. Then, a clatter of glass breaking drew their attention to the space behind the TARDIS.

Jack was sitting on the couch not far from them, looking rumpled, tired, and not a little drunk if the almost empty bottle of hypervodka dangling from his fingertips was any indication. Several more empty bottles littered the floor beside him and the table he currently had one leg propped on. If that did not give the Doctor pause, the tear tracks on the Immortal's face most certainly did.

Jack brought the bottle to his lips and downed the last of the potent liquid, not yet acknowledging his guests.

"Jack?"

"Doctor." He saluted the man with the bottle, knowing how much the Doctor hated salutes. "You regenerated. Again."

"I did. And now I'm here." The Doctor made his way over to Jack, sat next to his former companion, and pulled the empty bottle from Jack's hand. "So, what's the rush, eh? Yet another strange alien popping up on your doorstep? Myself  _not_  included, of course."

Jack just smiled sadly and snorted in tandem with Rory and Amy.

The Doctor just pointed at Amy and cocked an eyebrow, drawing a laugh from the redhead.

Jack turned blearily to the Doctor. "Bowties this go 'round?"

The Doctor checked his bowtie and replied with a sniff, "Bowties are cool."

"Yeah, they are, Doc. Looks good on ya."

"See!" The Doctor beamed at his companions.

Jack laughed again, hoarsely, then dropped his propped foot to the floor, leaned forward and buried his face in his hands with a sob.

"Jack?" The Doctor was shocked and reached to place his hand on Jack's shoulder. "What the hell is going on here? Where's Martha, Mickey? Gwen and Rhys? Is everyone alight?"

Jack dropped his hands between his knees and drew a deep breath.

"No. No, everyone's fine. Well, almost everyone." He turned to the Doctor. "The Rift's been quiet the last few months. Like it was waiting for something. Been drivin' us crazy." He let out a short laugh and said lowly, "Until a week ago."

The Doctor waited until Jack composed himself.

"Until _he_ came through, Doc." Jack's bloodshot eyes met his and the Doctor cocked an inquiring eyebrow. Jack sighed. "Come on," and levered himself up.

The Doctor followed quietly behind to the Hub's medical bay. Jack stopped at the top of the stairs and stared down to the gleaming equipment, hands braced on the railing above the amphitheatre, knuckles white.

The Doctor looked too and didn't realize he'd been staring at a sheet-covered body until Jack said, "It's you, Doc."

The Doctor’s pulse skyrocketed and he jerked back a step.

"No, wait," Jack reached for the Doctor, "Damnit." He ran his hands through his hair, "Not  _you_  you. The other you. The Metacrisis you."

The Doctor said nothing, merely stared down at the body on the gurney, before slowly making his way down the stairs.

Jack followed him and watched as his oldest friend – no pun intended – pulled back the sheet from John's face, but looked away.

It was hard enough knowing the Doctor was a new man (again) and may not even want to be around him, but seeing the face of the Doctor's previous form on the dead man in front of him shredded his heart to pieces and brought a new wave of tears.

The Doctor held the sheet above his former clone's body waiting for something… anything… even knowing the man wouldn't regenerate. 

 _Human_ , he reminded himself. He started to sway but Jack caught him by the shoulder.

"It's  _him_ ," the Doctor whispered.

"Yeah," Jack croaked. "Martha confirmed it after he came through the Rift."

"Wait.  _He_ came through  _the Rift_?"

"Yeah. Showed up with this huge hole in him," and pulled the sheet further down, keeping one hand on the Doctor's shoulder. Both men looked but averted their gazes quickly. Jack dropped the sheet back over John's face and pulled the Doctor to a nearby chair.

"His ID says he called himself John Cameron Storm, 37 years old, resident of London." Jack paused and took a deep breath before continuing, "… Married to Rose Tyler-Storm."

The Doctor snapped his head up, his eyes amazingly pain-filled.

Even in this regeneration, knowing and having done everything he's done, he still loved Rose Tyler. 

 _Rose Tyler-Storm now._  

His eyes dropped closed and he slouched back in the chair, legs crossed at the knees, arm across his abdomen, and hand over his eyes.

Even after the mess with River and the Silence and Lake Silencio, the mention of his 'pink and yellow human' could still make his hearts clench.

Jack pulled up another chair sat in front of him, leaned forward in his chair and hands clasped. "I called you last night. Sent the rest of the team home about three hours ago… after John died."

The Doctor just watched him from under his hand.

"He never woke up, never made a sound, didn't even twitch when Martha was working on him. She couldn't give him any painkillers because we weren't sure what he could and couldn't have. But he never reacted." Jack sighed heavily as he sat back in his chair. "We tried everything, but it just wasn't enough. He'd already lost so much blood  _before_  he got here. Then, whatever we _did_ manage to do didn't seem to work. Even the few nano-genes I had on hand weren't working."

Jack sighed and looked to John. "Martha thinks that whatever bit of Time Lord he may have had in him was keeping him from healing. His body or his mind or whatever wouldn't let him heal because he would have just regenerated otherwise."

The Doctor followed his gaze. "Just too human." He looked to Jack. "So, if John came through…"

Jack just shook his head. "That's what I thought too. Where one is, you'd usually find the other. At least that's how it  _used_  to be," and both men smiled, remembering. "We checked the Rift activity, CCTV, and anything else we could think of. Just him. You don't think she's...?"

"No." The Doctor broke in harshly before Jack could finish his thought, then softer, "No. Rose Tyler…  _Rose Tyler-Storm_ … is  _not_  dead." He slowly came to his feet. "He deserves a proper burial. A proper  _Time Lord_  burial. He deserves that much."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, John. You were a good clone....


	6. Chapter 6

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Over the next few days, the Doctor, Amy, and Rory made themselves at home in the Hub. Well, in the TARDIS in the Hub. Martha and Mickey were hardly surprised at the Doctor's regeneration, and thanked him for saving them (again). After the incident with the Sontaran who’d had them pinned down years before, they'd been expecting him to change. They’d seen the grief in his for far too long.

Plans were made for John's funeral and his body moved to a stasis chamber in the TARDIS while the Doctor and Jack's team continued researching what could have brought John back to this universe.

Two more weeks passed surprisingly fast without one complaint from the Doctor about being "stuck" in one place for so long. Amy and Rory had made fast friends with the two Torchwood couples, and everyone could be found most nights having dinner in the Hub's conference room or in one of the TARDIS kitchens.

Jack had also made it a point to "talk" to the TARDIS, to tell Her what was happening. He felt the sentient machine's sadness at John's death, but also Her happiness at having Jack back on board.

This had brought the man to tears again and he'd stroked the walls of Her corridors when he visited. Often during this time, when Jack couldn't be found anywhere else in the Hub, he'd been found asleep in the jump seat in front of the console or curled up in the swing under the console floor.

Once, Amy had walked in to see him laying flat on his back on the glass floor, arms behind his head and legs crossed at the ankle, talking to himself in broken words and sentences. She told the Doctor about this and he'd dropped what he was working on to see for himself.

The Doctor smiled at the sight, himself hidden near the door. "Amy, he's speaking to the TARDIS telepathically. What you're hearing is Jack speaking out loud and well as in his mind." He grinned down at her. "They're old friends and happy to have each other again."

He frowned then and looked back at Jack. "Captain! I'll thank you to  _not_  flirt with my ship, sir!"

Jack just smiled at the Doctor. "Make me," and turned back to gaze at the ceiling to continue his conversation.

The Doctor just grumbled under his breath when he felt the TARDIS' chiming laughter in his head. "Women."

This started Amy laughing so hard she collapsed on the couch near the wall, tears streaming down her face.

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The Doctor sat in the jump seat in front of the TARDIS control panel, legs crossed at the knees, listening to his ship hum in his mind.

"I can't figure it out, dear. How John got back here, what that flash of light could have been, nothing! It's maddening!"

The security tape from the Hub surveillance didn't help any, though Jack's reactions to the Rift spike was interesting. Time for that later, though.

He sighed and scrubbed his hands over his face, then through his hair, semi-reminiscent of his previous self. He'd felt the prodding from his ninth and tenth selves for days now, and the tension and worry of not knowing Rose's whereabouts and condition was driving him more insane than he was willing to admit.

"Well, old girl. I'm stuck. Well, maybe not stuck. Maybe confused. Confused and stuck."

The TARDIS hummed soothingly, Her own worry still evident.

"If John is in  _this_  universe and Rose isn't, then we can assume it wasn't an intentional jump."

He remembered Rose doing just that, just so she could return to him. 'Striding parallel to parallel' as Davros had called it. He smiled at the thought of her, then closed his eyes and begged every deity he'd heard of - or met - to please please  _please_  let her be safe.

"So, what now, eh?" The Doctor dropped his head back and, with another sigh, groaned in frustration.

A sudden tingle on his skin and in the deepest recesses of his mind jerked him back to awareness. He looked up in time to see a beautiful, glowing figure walking around the console, trailing a hand atop the controls. The movement of the air above the controls swirled with gold and light and Time, like glitter and silk caught in the currents of a whirlpool.

The figure, a woman, smiled at him, the light of the Time Vortex and the depth of the now-extinct Untempered Schism reflected in her eyes.

The Doctor's own eyes grew amazingly wide and his jaw dropped, astonished, thrilled, hopeful, terrified. He was halfway to his feet when she held up a hand and he dropped back down. He flinched at the raw power she held.

"Rose?" He could only manage a whisper.

Her gaze dropped from her perusal of the time rotor to him. "No, My Doctor. Not Your Rose."

"Bad Wolf."

She smiled again at him. "Yes." The word rang in his mind like the Cloister Bell.

He jumped to his feet this time. "You should  _not_  be here. You shouldn't even  _exist_  anymore. I took you out of her!" His hands slashed the air between them.

"Yes, My Doctor, you did. But you, Time's Champion, should know better.  _I create myself._ "

"So, why now? After all this… well, _time_ … why now? What more could you possibly  _want_?!" He yelled the last part at her, then turned to stalk around the console.

"I protect you, My Doctor, and the Valiant Child. Our Rose." Tears fell down her cheeks and splashed onto the glass floor, glowing for a moment before being absorbed by the TARDIS. "But I was so weak. I failed and was released from Our Rose."

The Doctor froze at the implication. "No." His previously flushed countenance now paled dramatically and he squeezed his eyes shut, gripping a random lever hard to hold himself upright. "Please, no. She's not dead. Not Rose. She's supposed to be safe."

The TARDIS groaned, feeling the overwhelming grief from the two creatures in existence She was so deeply connected.

Bad Wolf sobbed. The light in her eyes slightly faded.

"No, not dead, but she's _so_ close, My Doctor. So close to The Darkness. You must help her. Please, My Doctor. More depends on this than you can imagine."

He stalked to her, barely restraining himself from grabbing and shaking her. "Tell me."

"I cannot. I'm sorry, but I cannot." The light flared back.

"Can you take me to her, then? Safely?"

She closed her eyes, breathing deeply and concentrating. "Yes, My Doctor. I can."

"What happens to you then? The Bad Wolf."

She sighs and tucks her chin into her chest. "I will return to Our Rose. But you must be quick, My Doctor. Your life, hers, my own, and so many others will depend on it."

A bright flash of light, not very different from the one on the Torchwood security films, and the Doctor ceased to exist.


	7. Chapter 7

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A loud pop, a thump, and a groan echoed in the hallway, frightening the trio of nurses that had just rounded the corner.

"Owww." The Doctor laid on the floor for a moment, nursing his aching head when one of the nurses hurried to him.

"Sir? Sir, are you alright?"

"Yeah, fine. Just a knock. Be good in a tick." The Doctor sat up cradling his head and giving himself a quick scan. Everything in order, the Doctor hopped up, startling the nurses again.

"Sir, you should probably sit down. Let us call a doctor. You could have a concussion!"

He waved them off. "No need, ladies." He smiled at them, bringing out and flashing his psychic paper, then pointed to himself. "Doctor. Everything's just fine!"

He clapped his hands and rubbed them together. "Now," he looks around. "Let's see: nurses, filtered oxygen... Hospital, yes?"

The nurses nodded, confused.

"Good! Great!" He turned to walk away and met the wall he'd recently fallen into. "Wrong way," then turns to look at the nurses. "Computer?"

They all pointed over their shoulders to the ward's center.

"Thank you, ladies!"

The Doctor marched over to the computer system, looking for the one person he knew would be here. Bad Wolf wouldn't have dropped him here if it wasn't where he needed to be. Just like his TARDIS, the dear girl.

A quick flash of worry for Her and his companions, but… _Don't plan on being gone that long. Pop in. Get Rose. Run from Jackie Tyler. Pop out._

_Good plan._

Using his handy dandy sonic screwdriver, he managed quite quickly to find Mrs. Rose Tyler-Storm. He caught his breath at the entry, even knowing she was married, the reality of this particular situation still caught him full force in the hearts.

"Right. On we go then."


	8. Chapter 8

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Jackie Tyler had fallen asleep in the chair across from her daughter's hospital bed, a blanket draped across her legs. She was exhausted, mentally, emotionally, and physically. Almost six months of watching Rose waste away, machines breathing for her, feeding her, keeping her heart beating, but not once moving on her own.

If it wasn't for the baby, Jackie would have begged the doctors to let her go months ago.

As Jackie softly snored away, she never saw the Doctor quietly make his way into the room.

Then freeze.

Rose. His Rose. Laying so quietly, so still in the sterile room. Tubes and wires twisting into and around her body. His little pink and yellow human.

Pregnant, too.

Two tears fell down his cheeks as he closed his eyes. Jealousy raged through him for a moment before he drew in a deep, ragged breath and approached her bedside.

"Hello, Rose."

He let his gaze search her face for a few precious moments, hoping for a reaction of some kind.

Nothing. Just the sound of the machines filling her lungs, then emptying them.

"It's me, Rose. The Doctor. I regenerated again.” He reached for her hand, noting it still fit his perfectly. “You know, I don't even wonder if you'd know me with this new face. I know _you_ , of all people in this or any other world or universe,  _you_  would."

"I’ve missed you so much, Rose. So, so much." He stroked the back of her hand, soft skin cool and dry and so very Rose. "I had other companions after... well, after I left you. You told me not to be alone and I listened. For once." He laughed a little at himself. "I even tried to lock you away in my mind, but you were always there. All pink and yellow and oh, so human."

He paused at this, his gaze following the line of her protruding stomach. "I never did tell you I love you, did I? Maybe this could've been mine." He reached out a hand and softly stroked her stomach with the back of two fingers. "I _do_ love you. Still, that is. Thought this regeneration would suppress it. Scared that it  _would_  as much as I  _wished_  it would. But, no."

The baby kicked against his hand and he laughed softly. "That's so beautiful, Rose.” Grief pounded in his hearts as he brought her hand to his cheek. “I’m so sorry,” he sobbed.

"She missed you so much, ya know?"

He looked over his shoulder to see Jackie Tyler, staring at Rose. "Had John and all, but you could see it."

He smiled at Jackie, had actually missed her snarky attitude, quick comebacks, and really, the best cup of tea he'd ever had. Then, winced at the memory of the infamous Tyler Slap he'd been on the receiving end of so many times.

"What happened, Jackie?"

Jackie sighed and looked to where her hands were entangled in the blanket. "S'been a little over seven years since you left us on tha' bloody beach, Doctor."

He had the decency to look as ashamed as he felt.

"I know you thought you were doing the right thing, but you were wrong. She cried. Again. For days, because you left her. Again. But this time you left a copy. A _copy_! Now, I love John, I do. He's been good to my Rose, even when she was so hard on him. He never gave up on her. Took two of the hardest years before he'd had enough. They fought, Doctor, like nothin' I'd ever seen or heard. Sayin' things and accusin' each other, throwin' and breakin' things for at least a solid week. But they got over it, worked things out, and were stronger for it."

Jackie looked to Rose's still form and tears formed in her eyes. "They got married six weeks later."

She noted when the Doctor flinched and was not-so-secretly pleased.

"She got pregnant almost immediately, but she miscarried before the end of the second month. Happened twice. Not that she was doing anything dangerous, no. They both figured it had something to do with th' Time Lord part of John. Broke both of their hearts, it did."

He gestured to Rose, "So..."

Jackie swatted at him. "I'm gettin' there, ya plum." She took a deep breath and continued. "About five months ago, her and John got called in to help with trade talks. They did that a lot at that Torchwood. Helped folks."

She looked back to Rose. "They helped. Turns out some kind of shape-shiftin' alien was impersonatin' these other aliens. 'Parently they'd gotten a hold of some weapons and wanted to use Earth to fence 'em or somethin' or another. Rose an' John figured out real quick they weren't really there to talk peace or trade and confronted them about it. Turned nasty real quick, Doctor." Jackie looked up to this new new new Doctor with tears pooling in her eyes. "That's what they did though. Defendin' th' Earth, no matter what."

The Doctor looked a little sick, so Jackie sat him in the chair next to her.

"Not sure 'bout the whole story, but accordin' to Pete, there were some shots outside the conference room they were meetin' at in Torchwood. They had their team and all, but by the time the other teams got there, their people were dead and the aliens that attacked were dead or escaped. Rose got a bunch of 'em apparently, before they got away."

"Jake and Pete thought she was dead when they found her, laid out in a pool of blood. Hers and John's. They were bringin' her here and she kept saying 'Bring 'im back' and callin' his name." She wiped the tears from her eyes.

"By the time they got her here, she was like this," and gestured to Rose. "Found out she was 3 weeks pregnant then. She didn't even know."

Jackie rose from her seat to go to Rose's bedside, silent as she let the Doctor process everything. Before she could turn around, the Doctor was at her side, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Jackie, John's dead."

She jerked her shoulder from his hand and turned her head sharply to look him in the eye. "And how do you know that?"

"How do you think I'm here?" he gentled.

He relayed to her everything that had happened, then had to explain Bad Wolf.

"So, my little girl had all that in her head?" Jackie was in shock. "No wonder she...," she stopped.

"She what, Jackie?"

Jackie carefully put down her daughter's hand and turned to face this new old man she never thought she'd see again. She took a deep breath and released it carefully. "Doctor. Rose has been... different... since we came back to this universe."

"How do you mean?" Alarm colored his voice.

"She had dreams, all the time, and they'd come true. She'd know things she shouldn't, or couldn't, know about people, places. She started readin' all these books about maths and physics. And understood 'em! She even stumped John a few times. I could hardly follow their conversations most days." She snorted. "Not that I could after she met you." Her voice gentled. "Now the baby..."

The Doctor seriously panicked then. "The baby? What's wrong with Rose's baby?"

She touched his arm and took his hand, placed it on Rose's stomach.

"The baby's got two hearts, Doctor." She released his hand and watched the mighty Time Lord as his hands started shaking and his knees went weak.


	9. Chapter 9

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Two hearts.

Rose's baby had two hearts.

Her child would be Gallifreyan.

He sat down weakly on the side of Rose's bed and tried to gather his wits. Instead, he placed both hands on Rose's belly, closed his eyes, and searched for the tiny mind within.

That little spark that was Rose's child curiously brushed his mind and he broke, allowing himself to be dragged down to lay his forehead against Rose's stomach. His silent tears soaked through her gown and he wrapped his arms around her to gather her close.

Jackie stood over him, rubbing his back as he cried. When he at last calmed down, he said, "Jackie. I need to look into Rose's mind. I have to at least  _try_  to find her, to bring her back. I need you to tell me it's okay."

Jackie hesitated while he wiped the tears from his face. "Please, Jackie. I  _need_  her."

She continued to rub his back and said, "If you can bring her back, wake her up, you're going to take her away again, aren't you?"

"Only if she wants to go," he said looking at Rose's face, not needing to memorize her features as such, just trying to soak in the fact he was here, with her, touching her. "As much as I need her, I won't force her to do anything she doesn't want. But I don't have much time in this universe before I get pulled back, with or without her."

Jackie stood silently for a few moments. "If you can wake her up, Doctor, and she wants to go with you, you have my blessing. But! She needs to know about John. You'll have to tell her what happened  _before_  you go."

The Doctor winced again. "Yeah. Okay."

She leaned down to kiss her daughter's forehead. As Jackie moved to walk out of the room, the Doctor grabbed her arm, "Jackie…" She turned and he smiled at her. "Thank you."

"Yeah, well, don't screw it up, you alien git, or I'll hunt you down and slap you one good." She raised her hand threateningly.


	10. Chapter 10

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Jackie left the room and the Doctor wasted no more of his precious time before he was pulled away from Rose permanently. She could die here. And the child... Best not think of that right now.

The Doctor sat on the side of Rose's bed and placed his fingertips to her temples, resting his palms on her cheeks. He reveled in the softness of her skin while, at the same time, initiating a psychic link and diving into her mind.

He wanted to scream at the nothingness, so similar to the Void he thought he'd lost her to so many years before. His fear of finally losing her almost overshadowed the brush against his mind, but he grabbed it and held on tight, pulling himself closer and closer to the golden light that was Rose Tyler.

 _Rose Tyler-Storm_ , he continually had to remind himself.

Suddenly, he found himself standing at the base of a mountain, in a field dotted with silver-leafed trees and covered in red grass. He stood in awe as the two suns shone brightly overhead and reflected off the Citadel in the distance.

His knees went weak for a second time that day, but this time he fell to the ground, grasping the red bits in his clenching fists.

Gallifrey.

"I used to think this place was a figment of my over-active imagination."

He whipped his head to the side and saw Rose. His Rose. As lovely as he'd ever seen her, in flowing red and cream robes stitched with the Gallifreyan symbols of his House.

"Then, I remembered you describing it to me once. It was so beautiful." She looked at him then. "Regenerated again, I see." She smiled at him, poking her tongue between her teeth in THAT smile, the one reserved just for him.

"New, new, new Doctor."

She laughed, the sound clear and beautiful. "Still  _my_  Doctor, though." She sat down next to him, arranging her robes more comfortably. "Always my Doctor, no matter the face." She looked off into the distance. "I heard you speaking to me. Out there. Heard mum, too. I'm pregnant."

"Yes, you are. And you're  _so_  beautiful."

She looked at him and smiled ruefully. "Yeah, I bet," and turned back toward the setting suns, smile fading. "I'd go with you if I could. Me and the baby. If you wanted us... Just can't seem to find my way back is all."

The Doctor reached for her hand, twining their fingers together. A perfect fit. "I always want you. Never doubt that."

Tears plopped onto her cheeks. "I know why you left us. I do. And I understand. Doesn't make things better. Doesn't mean it didn't hurt so much I actually wished to die for a bit." She squeezed his hand. "But I understand. And I forgive you."

He pulled her to his chest then, holding her the way he always wanted, but she pulled away and looked him in the eye, a glimmer of Bad Wolf showing through.

"But if you ever, and I mean EVER, do it again, I'll regenerate you faster than you can say Raxicoricofallipatorius."

He laughed long and loud at that, knowing she was perfectly serious. "Never again. I promise you that." He brushed the tears from her face, cupped her cheek and pressed his forehead to hers. "I love you, Rose Tyler. For all my lives,  _I love you_."

He barely gets the last words out before her lips are on his. So soft but so firm, warm, and wet. He'd wanted this for so  _so_  long. His hands traced her face and buried themselves in her hair, holding her to him, no hints of the reserve he'd felt when River had kissed him.

Rose groaned into his mouth and pulled him closer, her own arms around him then, pulling herself into his lap. He smiled into the kiss and moved quickly to place her on the silk-soft red grass. The sudden movement made her squeak in surprise and clutch him harder so that he landed with one leg tucked between hers.

He pulled his head back and laughed down at her.

"Oi! Watch it you!" The mirth in her admonishment belied any anger she tried to put into it. She took in his new features and traced a hand through his hair and down his cheek where he nuzzled into her hand. "So different but still so much the same," she murmured. "I love you, Doctor."

He froze and she watched as a huge grin lit him up from the inside out. He leaned down to nuzzle her cheek and neck, drawing a giggle and sigh from her. "I love you too, Rose Tyler-Storm.

Sadness clouded her eyes then and he could've kicked himself.

"Is he… John… Is he really…?" She swallowed convulsively.

He closed his eyes and took a breath, then nodded. Her sobs cut through him and he pulled her close, pressing his forehead to hers. "I'm so sorry, Rose. I wish…" He caught himself and his own throat closed in sorrow at the brother he never knew, but really knew better than anyone.

Rose gathered herself and took a shuddering breath. "It's alright. I know it is. He'd know it, too. It's the Doctor and Rose, no matter the species."

"Quite right. OW!" He flinched back as she walloped him hard in the arm. "Alright, I guess I deserved that, but  _really_ , Rose. Ow!" He rubbed his arm and pouted before looking down at her seriously. "Rose. I need you. Really properly need you. Please. Please come home."

Rose smiled softly. "I need you too, Doctor, but I can't. I've tried." Her hands had started wandering up and down his arms as he propped himself over her, trailed to his chest to feel his hearts beat into her hand.

He leaned to the side, supporting himself on one arm, and held her hand to the hearts he'd given her so long ago. "I can help you with that."

She lit up like fireworks. "Please! Oh yes, please!" She grasped his tweed jacket reflexively, making a mental note to chide his wardrobe choices later. "I wanna go with you, Doctor!"

His grin exploded again and she just couldn't seem to help herself as she pulled him back down. This time his mouth opened to allow his tongue to swipe and hers and draw a helpless moan from them both at their respective tastes.

Tea and time, love and happiness. Rose and the Doctor.

Her hands drifted into his jacket and pushed it from his shoulders, catching his suspenders –  _suspenders? Really, Doctor?_  – to drag them down his arms before attacking the shirt buttons.

He shrugged out of it without removing himself from her lips – He may never part from her mouth again! – then dove to wind his own hands into the robes she wore.

Hands met skin and both gasped much need air into starved lungs. Her hands on his abdomen, tracing up to his chest then around to his back. His hands parting her robes, stroking the flesh at her side before drawing his hand up to brush against her breast.

He dove back down for more of her before remembering. "Rose. Wait." It took everything in him to pull away from her, but he managed. Barely. He closed his eyes, drew a deep breath, and started again. "If we keep on with this, it'll bond us. We'll be in each other’s head, and I know how you feel about that, but I can teach you to shield yourself, 'cause who'd want to have someone poking around in their brains. I mean, well, you know, in a bad way. But this could be good, yeah? Of course, it'd take some time to get used to, but…"

Rose stopped him with fingers pressed to his lips. "Stop. Doctor, listen to me. I've loved you since you were big ears, Northern accent, and leather. I've loved you since 'Run!'. Don't think, ever, that I wouldn't want this. Want you. Forever."

He smiled softly and kissed her fingers before dragging them from his face. "Rose Tyler."

She smiled  _that_ smile again.

"I've waited more than a thousand years for you. And I'm never letting you go, never leaving you again. I swear it to you."

"Good," then dragged him back down to finish what they'd begun so many years before.

What felt like hours – years – later, Rose laid over the Doctor's bare chest, trailing fingers over the soft, soft skin and humming happily. The Doctor whispered fingertips up the back to her arm, then brushed away hair that had blown into her face by the breeze in her mindscape. He'd be sad to leave this peaceful respite, but oh so pleased to get her home so he could really touch her.

He felt the red-gold brush of her mind in his, wrapping his silver-blue presence in a warmth such as he'd never felt with his own people.

"I can bring you home now. You can follow the bond link and come back to me, to your mum and dad, your little brother. We can go home, Rose." He smiled down at her. "Jack misses you. Mickey, too."

Rose threw her head back laughed at him, grabbing his head and pulling him over for a kiss. "You don't have to bribe me with them. I'm ready to go home, Doctor." She smiled even wider.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for sadness, angst, and character deaths...kinda

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Only five minutes had passed outside of their shared mindscape when the Doctor opened his eyes to stare down at Rose.

"Come on, Rose. Come back to me." He closed his eyes again, exhaustion starting to pound at him. "Please, Rose, come on. You can do this. Yes… There you go. I'm here, Rose. I'm here, waiting for you."

He pulled back from her face, not releasing her, but seeing her features screw up in concentration. "Wait! Wait, Rose! Just... hold on. You've got a tube in your throat. Just hang on. Don't... wander off." He smiled down at her, feeling the affirmative brush to his psyche.

Without moving from Rose, the Doctor bellowed, "JACKIE!"

"What?"

He jumped at the voice not five feet to his side. "Good lord, woman, scared a life outta me." Still not releasing Rose, but leaning over her, he looked to Jackie. "Get a nurse, a doctor, someone in here quick to get this thing out of her."

"Right!" and ran from the room a lot faster than he thought she was capable of. But that was Jackie Tyler, always proving him wrong.

"Hold on, darling. Your mum'll be right back and you'll be home." He could have sworn he saw the corner of her mouth twitch up.

Jackie might have been gone for two minutes when she came running back in with the three nurses the Doctor had scared after he arrived in this universe. To him, it felt like years.

"Sir! What are doing?! Get off of her!" One nurse moved to remove the Doctor from Rose when Jackie intercepted her.

"You listen here," she put a finger in the woman's face. "I trust that man with my life. More, I trust 'im with my daughter's life. Have done before and will again. So, you listen to me: Get. That. Tube. Out. Of her throat. NOW!

Without a word further, the nurse moved to the head of Rose's bed, lowered it quickly and carefully, not dislodging the Doctor, and proceeded to remove the tubing.

The Doctor closed his eyes again to concentrate and put his chin to his chest, breathing deeply. "Hold on, Rose. Almost there. Hold on." He felt her slipping away from his mind, retreating further into her own, fear replacing excitement.

"No, no, no, NO! Rose! Come on, darling! The tube's out. Time to wake up. We need to go home, Rose."

The Doctor moved from his perch at her side, still not releasing his hold of her head, and moved to straddle her hips and thighs to give himself better leverage.

Her breathing became choppier and her skin greyed. Not breathing on her own for months on end had weakened her so much.

Jackie stood near the door, a hand covering her mouth and tears in her eyes. She watched the Doctor fight to hold Rose's mind in his own while her body rebelled and tried to slip away.

Machines began beeping in warning but the nurses stood to the side for fear of the wrath of Jackie Tyler. As the patient's mother, this was her choice and they could not interfere.

The Doctor didn't see any of this. His fear of finally losing his Rose to death's grip paralyzed his body but brought his focus forward in sharp clarity. But, Rose continued to slip from him.

"NO! ROSE!"

 _Sorry, my love. My Doctor. I tried so hard. So tired. Forgive me. Love you. Love you forever._  Her mental whisper weakened as she projected her thoughts to him, and ended in a bare whisper. His tears dripped into her hair as he felt her mind slip from his like water through his fingers.

_NO, ROSE! Please! I'm here! I'M RIGHT HERE! Please don't go! PLEASE!_

His grip on her face tightened further, would have been bruising. He pulled her up then, tucked his face into her neck, and drew her scent into his burning lungs.

So close! He'd been so close.

The machines monitoring her life signs began blaring and Jackie crumbed to the floor, holding her ears as the Doctor screamed his pain as he felt Rose's heart stop and her mind grow dark. As he felt their newly fledged bond break.

His cries melted into whimpers as he moved off her lap to gather her into his arms, one hand at her stomach. "Sweet child. You would have been mine. I would have loved you  _so_  much. Shown you the universe and all of time itself. I'm so, so sorry. Please, please forgive me." Tears streaked down his face and he placed a soft kiss to the swell of Rose's belly housing that precious life.

He looked back to Rose's face, her lips starting to tinge blue. He stroked her lips, her cheek, smoothed her hair back from her face, kissed her eyes and lips.

"Rose," he murmured. "My Rose. My love. I never should have left you." He pulled her to him again, rocking her gently, then stopped and pulled back to look at her again. He kissed her lips so gently, as if trying not to wake her.

"Not going to leave you again. Don't worry, love. Not gonna leave you alone." He pulled her close and continued to speak so softly. "Where you go, I go, okay? I promised, remember? Never let you go, never leave you. I love you, my Rose."

His words finally sank through Jackie's grief. Her daughter and grandchild were dead, but she didn't blame this man. Not this time. Not like she could have. Not like she would have before. But now he planned to die with her?

"Doctor, you can't do that!" She jumped up to grab his arm. "Please! You can't do this! The world... the  _universes_  need you. Don't do this," she begged.

The Doctor looked at Jackie, smiled even though he felt dead inside. His bond mate was gone and he planned on following. "Jackie Tyler. I never told you this, but you make the best cup of tea. Even if you do slap me."

Jackie choked on a teary laugh. "Come with me and I'll make you as much tea as you like."

He cupped her face. "No." He turned back to Rose. "I promised I'd never leave her again, Jackie. Gonna keep her safe this time. Keep my promise." He smiled his thanks at Jackie and turned back to Rose. He kissed her lips and placed his fingertips to her temples once more. "Hold on, Rose. Wait for me one more time. I'm coming with you."

He closed his eyes and bowed his head, letting go finally. Finally.


	12. Chapter 12

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His mind burned. Burned like ice and fire. The Universe raged and spun and fought the storm.

A kiss.

Lips pressed to his so sweetly.

He knew those lips.

Rose, his Rose, his love.

"My Doctor."

That voice. Not Rose. 

 _That_   _voice_ , dragged him back from the abyss, kicking and screaming.

"Doctor."

 _NO!_ He wouldn't leave her. Not again! He'd promised. He fought with everything in him to release him,  _please_. He couldn't do it anymore. It would just be too much.  _PLEASE STOP THIS!_

"Doctor!"

His eyes peeled open with all the strength he could muster and met glowing golden ones. "So, we meet again. Come to read me my last rites?"

The voice of the big Bad Wolf rang in his head like a thousand million bells, each clearer and louder than the last, and very plainly angry. "You would give up on us so easily? You would relinquish your hold on Our Rose so quickly?"

He made to close his eyes again, pulled Rose's body closer to his. "She's dead. I killed her. You dishonor her by remaining. Come now, Wolf, we all need rest. Return to the Vortex. Tell the Universes the Doctor is no more." He snorted. "Should make  _SOME_  happy."

She stroked his face. "Oh, My Doctor," she giggled. "Such an idiot."

"Yep. That's me. All the way," he murmured.

Bad Wolf watched as the Doctor, the last of the Time Lords, the Oncoming Storm, Ka Fariq Gatri, gave up the will to live.

Without his Rose, he couldn't seem to even fake caring any more. This was the last loss he could bear. The lonely god was laying down his mantle.

"She is not so far gone yet, My Doctor. Our Rose."

The Doctor cracked open his eyes to stare at this impossible creature, not daring to hope.

"There's not much time, My Doctor. You'll soon be back in your universe and I cannot allow you to die. I am the Bad Wolf. I can see the whole of time and space. Every single atom of your existence. Everything must come to death. All things. Everything dies." She smiled, stroked his face, and murmured, "Everybody knows that everybody dies. But not every day. Not today. I am the Bad Wolf, remember? I create myself."

At that, Rose's body burst into golden flames, licking at every inch of her and wrapping around the Doctor's prone form. He refused to release her even when the energy threatened to harm him to the point of his own regeneration.

And then it was done.

Over as quickly as it had begun.

And Rose, his beautiful pink and yellow human, his companion, bond-mate, and love, opened her eyes and met his, gave him THAT smile and kissed the Doctor.


	13. Chapter 13

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Jackie Tyler stood in shock outside her daughter's room. She'd called Pete, who was rushing over from Torchwood Tower as fast as possible, but the shock of the day made her numb to everything. It was hard to believe she'd lost her daughter, grandchild, and the Doctor all in the last few minutes.

She couldn't bring herself to watch the Doctor die in Rose's arms and so left the room. She'd bring the hospital doctors in soon so they could record time of death.

She caught a sob in the back of her throat and pressed a hand to her mouth. She could have sworn she'd heard Rose's laugh ringing in her head. Her beautiful girl that had done so much for so many. Had given her Pete and Tony, and only asked for her Doctor. Such carefree laughter would be a wonderful way to remember her Rose.

A high-pitched squealing laugh stole through the air, and Jackie covered her ears as if she could stop the memories. It was all in her head then. Had to have been. But... wait... Was that…? Was  _the Doctor_  laughing, too?

Jackie barged into the room with the expertise of a mother catching her daughter doing something she shouldn't, only to stop in shock.

"Rose?"

"Mum!"

"Oh, Rose, sweetheart!" She ran to fold her daughter into her arms, both women crying and rocking each other.

After a few minutes of tearful reunion, Jackie pulled back to see the Doctor smiling serenely at Rose, seemingly unable to pull his gaze from her.

So, he never saw it when Jackie Tyler, in all her bleach-blonde glory, slapped him not once, but twice, then grabbed him into a hug that would have cracked a lesser man's ribs.

"Oof! Jackie!"

"Mum! Leave him!" Rose pried her mother off the Doctor and was immediately engulfed again.

"Oh Rose, I was so worried about you!" Jackie's hands on her shoulders pulled her away to scan her up and down. "Are you okay? Do you need anything? What about the baby?"

Rose laughed, looking at her mother. "No, mum, I'm fine." She looked to the Doctor. "We're all fine," she said, rubbing her stomach, then looking up. "We're going to leave soon, mum. Very soon actually."

The Doctor snapped to attention at this, but Rose continued. "I need you to do something for me."

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Ten minutes later, after helping Rose dress in something more substantial than a hospital gown, she made absolutely sure she had all of Rose's instructions down. She hugged her daughter once more and wished her luck, then left the room to wait for Pete.

She knew she'd never see her Rose again, but would be oh so sure to tell Tony all about his big sister, out saving the universe with an alien, and traveling in a police box that was bigger on the inside.

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After Jackie left, the Doctor, perched back on Rose's bedside, holding her hand and stroking the skin of her knuckles. "I really have no clue how we're going to return," he laughed. "How's that for bad driving?"

She laughed at his nervousness. "Whenever you're ready, my Doctor. We can leave whenever you're ready." She smiled mysteriously at him.

"Really? That's... convenient. Never had a 'convenient' plan before."

"Yes." She leaned into him "Yes, it is." She pressed her smiling lips to his while her open eyes flashed the bright glowing gold of the Wolf, swirled with the deep honey brown of her own.

Without hesitation, she catapulted them through the Void between worlds to her home universe and into the Hub, landing them quite gently on the couch behind Mickey's computer set-up.

As the flash of swirling light and energy faded, Jack, being Jack, broke the silence. "HOW THE HELL LONG WERE YOU OVER THERE?", he yelled staring at Rose's pregnant stomach.


	14. Chapter 14

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Thankfully, Rose was able to relate the whole story to their friends after many hugs and a few kisses ("Hands off the blonde, Harkness," which Captain Jack studiously ignored).

Much, much later, after questions and answers and a lovely dinner of chips and Chinese, Rose lay on another gurney. This time being examined by Martha in the Torchwood medical bay, Amy and Gwen to the side. The women were all laughing like hyenas over the shared stories of Mr. Mickey Smith, the Doctor, Rhys, and Rory.

"Rose wanted a check-up, make sure everything was okay after she 'died'."

The Doctor, on his way to Rose's bedside, looked a little green at the "D" word. "Coulda done that in the TARDIS...," he mumbled.

Rose grabbed his hand, "Yeah, but I was having a good time reminiscing and gossiping. Easier this way!" Rose winked to Martha.

The lady in question grabbed Rose's chart, "And since we've yet to get started, you can stay or go at your leave."

"Gonna stay." He smiled down at Rose. "Never leaving again."

"Yeah," she smiled.

Martha beamed. "Good!"

Thirty minutes later, all was quiet in the medical bay as eyes were glued to the wall screen showing Rose's own test results. Jack, of course, broke the silence, "No way."

Rose's shock had frozen her in place. "But that's ..."

"Yep!" Martha's chirpy reply popped the 'p' as the Doctor's previous incarnation was wont to do.

"You're sure?"

The Doctor was just grinning like the loon everyone knew him to be. "Apparently."

"But that's..."

The Doctor shot a look in her direction and pointed sharply. " _Don't_  say impossible."

Jack snorted and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that word may just be illegal from now on considering how little either of you listen to reason. Or physics."

"I mean..."

"I know!"

"So... Really?" 

"Yep!"

"Wow..."

The Doctor had yet to look away from Rose. "Yeah. She's good at that."

She felt a tickle in her mind and saw the Doctor's eyes glaze over. A sense of awe washed over her. "Already got him wrapped around your little finger, you do." She sighed happily, and patted her stomach. "Good girl."

He reached for her hand, fingers already feeling twitchy from her absence. "How long are you gonna stay with me?" he asked, and smiled like a child on a sugar high.

She gave him that smile he so adored and rested their joined hands atop their daughter before looking back to the screen showing her second heart, "Forever."

 

 


	15. Chapter 15

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Not too long ago but far, far in the future, the Last Time Lord stood on a planet far from his adopted home world. The planet was uninhabited for the moment which suited his needs perfectly. Centuries from the moment the little blue box materialized there, humans would find this paradise hidden in the black. Perfectly situated close enough to a sun for warm and cold seasons, it was so very close to Earth-like. That is, if you could ignore the pale lavender oceans and skies, the blue-green clouds, and the orange grasses, you'd swear you were Earth-bound.

In this particular instance, this planet that would be known as Eden's Gate would play host to the funeral of Doctor John Cameron Storm.

Captain Jack Harkness, Mickey Smith, Rory Williams (Pond), and the Doctor build a pyre fit for a king on a beach overlooking the largest ocean on the planet. John's body was placed reverently atop it a few hours before dusk.

Rose stepped up, tears streaking her face and shoulders shaking with her sobs, and placed a soft kiss to her husband's forehead. "Rest, my love. Be at peace." Her perfectly pronounced Gallifreyan goodbye chimed in the wind.

The Doctor wrapped his arm around her waist after placing a similar kiss to his brother's forehead. "Goodbye, Brother." He led Rose up the hill from the beach to the field of orange where a pavilion had been set up for the mourners, well-wishers, friends, and family.

Jack and the Doctor walked back to the pyre, each carrying large torches which they placed at either end. Flames leap at the dry timber, quickly spreading and engulfing the entire structure. The Doctor waited a few moments to ensure everything was as it should be before he and Jack made their way back to the pavilion.

The group watched as the sun touched the horizon and continued to drop into the ocean, leaving the beach lit up with flames. Laughter, tears, snorts of derision, amazed scoffs, and irritated grumbles drifted up during the following hours as stories, tall tales, and blatant lies abounded.

The Doctor sat back and watched his family gather. Rose, Amy, Rory, Mickey, Martha, Jack, and surprisingly, Professor River Song had come together to celebrate John's short life.

He watched Rose sit back, sighing and rubbing her swollen stomach. Now at close to seven months, Rose's pregnancy was progressing normally for a Gallifreyan woman. Strangely, it tended to draw others to her, and brought out only the good in everyone she came in contact with. It had been amazingly peaceful these last few months. Now, seeing Rose and River smiling and laughing together like old friends, hearing the varied laughs from those he loved so dearly, feeling his daughter move and grow inside Rose's body… It brought such a spread of warmth to him, it was staggering.

Thankfully, River had confessed everything to him once Rose was home. Her true name, her history, and how she knew him too terribly well. Needless to say, he was … beside himself in shock. But Rose, in her infinite patience with his batty self, just rolled her eyes, shoved him out of the TARDIS, and proceeded to become best friends with the Time Lady.

Rose looked to the Doctor, her husband, bond-mate, lover. She grinned in pure joy and knew… just  _knew_... it was only just beginning.

THE END

... ?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is another story imported over from ff.net and I just don't know about it. To be far to myself, it's one of the first few I ever wrote and this was my way of rebelling against the idea of Rose never coming back, and River marrying the Doctor, and and and and....   
> It's funny though, because I never really shipped 11/Rose..... hmmmmmmm


End file.
